Natalia Dyer of 'Stranger Things' Has a Few Things She'd Steal From Nancy Wheeler's Closet

When you play a character from the eighties on television (well, Netflix), you're bound to come around to some nostalgic fashion trends. That's what Stranger Things' Natalia Dyer admitted to Glamour at the Kate Spade New York presentation during New York Fashion Week.

"Every time we go back [to the Stranger Things set] and I get a new wardrobe, I’m like, ‘I need one of these! I need a sweater like this!'" Dyer, who plays Nancy Wheeler on the hit series, told us. "'Why don’t I own any terry-cloth clothing? I need to get some of that!'"

Nancy's chunky sweaters are just one of many vintage-inspired styles the 21-year-old has found herself wanting to cop after two seasons of Stranger Things. "I kind of have come to love Doc [Martens] boots, which I always thought [I] couldn’t get into them at all," Dyer said. Also: high-waisted jeans—"never not wearing high-waisted jeans again," she noted. "Every fit that’s low just feels weird! Somebody was telling me that 2000s fashion is coming back and I’m like, 'Just not the low-waist jeans.'"

Dyer and her onscreen counterpart share an appreciation of wardrobe minimalism, she said—though, given the decades-long gap between them, these can mean different things. "I’m pretty casual in my day-to-day life—I don’t like to do a whole lot," she explained. When it comes to the red carpet, though, she thinks "it's fun to embrace the more glamorous and crazy side."

Dyer works with stylist Brad Goreski, and they've collaborated on a range of looks that strike a balance between the chic and the unexpected: a bright green Vera Wang gown at the 2017 Emmy Awards, a millennial pink lace sheath dress by Christopher Kane for the Stranger Things 2 premiere, and a zodiac-printed Dior Couture number for the 2018 SAG Awards. The biggest lesson he's taught her, she explained, has been to "give things a shot," be open to experimentation, and embrace how fun and expressive fashion can be."

Even with a fairy-god-stylist at hand, Dyer noted that some looks need a little extra work to make it from the hanger to the red carpet—but to her, taking risks makes red carpet dressing all the more fun. "I’ll love a lot of things that you wouldn’t necessarily go for or don’t look great on the hanger," she said. "It’s worth a shot to just try on because sometimes it’s magical, or vice versa."

Fashion can also present a powerful platform for an actor, as we saw at the 2018 Golden Globes. Dyer participated on the red-carpet blackout, in solidarity with Time's Up, in a Giambattista Valli gown. "I felt very fortunate to be there when all of that was going on," she explained. "I’m fairly new to the business and that side of Hollywood, so to be around all of these women who’ve been deeply affected and have stories and they’re using their voices to say something…. I want to be there with them."

"It felt very special to be there and wasn't lost at all on me," Dyer added. The visual of having all these people come out, dressed in black, as a way to show survivors that they were on their side, she said, was significant. "Award shows are nice, but can feel a little lonely—like, 'Who’s the best dressed?' and ‘What are you wearing?’ It wasn't about that that night."